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City Labs Bridging to Local and Global Actions for Inclusive Digital Urban Transformation

Prof. Gesa Ziemer

Moderator

date November 7, 2024 | 17:00 - 18:30
place
Multipurpose room 11
organization
UNITAC
country
Germany
language
English
Reference: 
NE 11-09

Summary

City Labs around the globe are creating invaluable spaces for exploration, experimentation, and co-creation by combining needs-based and research-driven approaches resulting in quick prototyping and agile tool development.

In this session, three City Labs strategically located in Latin America, Africa, and Europe are joining forces, combining their cutting-edge research and tool development with impact-driven local implementation in a global context. The focus of this session lies on both shared innovative practices and their diverse and also different ways of working to meet the massive challenges posed by urban growth in the climate crisis. Tackling innovation through an urban technology acceleration approach is characterized by a commitment to inclusivity, agility, and local collaboration.

By showcasing insights of the different work on digital urban technologies, we aim to demonstrate a range of digital tools, spanning from prototypes to practical applications. And seek to share how urban data and digital technology can support and empower communities, fostering sustainable development. At the core of the event, we will have an interactive tool presentation and ideation session where we share hands-on experiences with our digital tools in a playful and participatory manner. In practical terms, our initiatives encompass a diverse range of digital tools. These range from participatory platforms designed for citizen engagement to advanced applications in remote sensing and mapping, as well as tools for data storytelling, scenario planning, location finding, and twin technologies.

During the upcoming panel discussion, speakers from the three city labs, along with distinguished representatives from the regions, will engage in a critical debate on the impact of their work, with a focus on localization and its effects at the regional level. Examining and discussing, for example, how a digital solution developed with the community for a township in Cape Town may not necessarily meet the needs of neighborhoods in a secondary city in Brazil.
The ideation session and interactive tool presentation, as well as the panel discussion, are primarily designed as open formats to incorporate questions and perspectives from the audience, with a particular emphasis the voices from the cities.

Objectives

With the proposed session, we aim to:

- Collaborate with various City Labs globally to address local urban challenges.
- Offer hands-on experience with cutting-edge digital tools and applications through an interactive tool presentation
- Engage in critical reflection on the localization of our work by emphasizing ongoing efforts at the regional and local level
- Promote sustainable urban practices that align local projects with the new urban agenda and SDGs
- Encourage experimentation processes to integrate innovation within urban settings
- Facilitate a platform to link cities and other stakeholder facilitating the exchange of innovative practices and discussions on digital tools and technology
- Assist city governments and other stakeholders by providing tangible insights and practical knowledge for their digital transformation
- Providing a platform to discuss the potentials and challenges of digitally embedded solutions for cities
- Highlight various projects and digital urban approaches from around the world

Session panelists

Panelist
Role
Organization
Country
Mr. Washington Menezes Fajardo
Director IDB Cities Lab
IDB Cities Lab
Mr. Richard Grvers
Director Open Cities Lab
Open Cities Lab
Mr. Leandry Jieutsa
PhD candidate
UNESCO Chair of Montreal University
Ms. Livia Schaeffer Nonose
Technology and Innovation Specialist
UNITAC / UN-Habitat